Despite that risk, a number of teens are still use tanning beds. More than eight percent of 14-year-old girls hit a tanning bed, according to a May 2011 study published by the American Journal of Public Health. The rates of use increase with age, the report said, with nearly 14 percent of 15-year-olds and nearly 21 percent of 16-year-olds soaking up artificial rays. By age 17, more than 26 percent of girls tan indoors, the study showed.

Silverstein said she wants to ban the practice, regardless of whether parents approve. That's a part of the proposal Halsted Street Beach owner Matthew Turner does not like.

"I don't think it's the city's place to start telling parents what to do with their children," he said, adding that teens might find ways to circumvent the proposed law.